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New Delhi: Former India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has doubled down on his controversial "Mankading" of Jos Buttler during the 2019 IPL, asserting that he feels no shame in admitting the act was fuelled by a desire to win.

Chasing 185, RR got off to a solid start with Buttler attacking the bowlers. However, the momentum shifted when Ashwin removed the bails at the non-striker’s end before delivering the ball, catching Buttler out of his crease. The wicketkeeper batter was given out by the third umpire after a brief exchange between the two players. The incident proved to be a turning point, as Punjab capitalised on it and sealed a 14-run victory.

"A lot of people talk about character, say this is wrong, or that the player is wrong. After hearing all that, I felt like doing it even more, not to prove a point to people. There was a moment when I was captain against Mumbai, and we needed two runs. I was at extra cover and told the bowler to run him out at the non-striker’s end. The batter ran, but the bowler refused because people say it’s wrong," Ashwin told Jio Hotstar.